Analysis of the pattern of drug use using WHO core drug indicators among general OPD patients in rural Puducherry.

Background: Prescription auditing is a crucial tool for evaluating a range of concerns, including injectable usage, polypharmacy, the use of generic names, and the quality of treatment given to patients in primary care facilities. The objective of the study was to assess, using WHO core drug use indicators, the drug use patterns of general outpatients (OPD) at a rural healthcare facility.

Materials And Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in a rural peripheral health centre in Puducherry for a period of one year from September 2019 to August 2020.

Short-term and long-term changes in natriuretic peptide levels after bariatric surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Bariatric surgery (BS) has demonstrated cardiovascular benefits in patients and was previously proven to be associated with an increased natriuretic peptide level without cardiac dysfunction. However, new studies have emerged, which require us to re-examine the relationship and extent of the correlation between BS, weight loss, and cardiac natriuretic peptide levels. A systematic search was conducted.

Introduction of a small volume ethyl acetate based liquid-liquid extraction procedure for analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in wastewater by atmospheric pressure gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and evaluation of method greenness.

The Small Volume Ethyl Acetate based Liquid-Liquid Extraction (SVEA-LLE) method, using Atmospheric Pressure Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (APGC-MS/MS) with Dual Head Robotic Tool Change (DH-RTC) Prep and Load (PAL) autosampler, was evaluated for the analysis of 17 PAHs in water and wastewater. The extraction method was first evaluated for extraction efficiency with respect to time using a one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and the effect of acidification. Method validation was performed as per SANTE/11312/2021 v2 2024 for analysis of PAHs in wastewater.

Influenza vaccine effectiveness against medically attended outpatient illness, United States, 2023-24 season.

Background: The 2023-24 U.S. influenza season was characterized by a predominance of A(H1N1)pdm09 virus circulation with co-circulation of A(H3N2) and B/Victoria viruses.

Nanoparticle-Supported, Rapid, Digital Quantification of Neutralizing Antibodies Against SARS-CoV-2 Variants.

The measurement of neutralizing immune responses to viral infection is essential, given the heterogeneity of human immunity and the emergence of new virus strains. However, neutralizing antibody (nAb) assays often require high-level biosafety containment, sophisticated instrumentation, and long detection times. Here, as a proof-of-principle, we designed a nanoparticle-supported, rapid, electronic detection (NasRED) assay to assess the neutralizing potency of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against SARS-CoV-2.

Evaluating the Confidence of Non-specialty Doctors Working in Trauma and Orthopedics in Performing Knee Arthrocentesis Through Simulation-Based Teaching.

Introduction Acute monoarthropathies that present in emergency settings include septic arthritis, where urgent joint arthrocentesis is the diagnostic gold standard. Literature indicates low confidence among trainee doctors in performing knee aspirations. Simulation-based teaching can be used to supplement procedural skills training and improve their confidence in performing such procedures.

Inclisiran: A Systematic Review Exploring the Revolutionary Approach of Twice-Yearly Dosing Regimen in the Treatment of Hypercholesterolemia.

The global burden of hyperlipidemia is on the rise, along with an increase in associated cardiovascular complications. Since most of the patients affected by hyperlipidemia are elderly individuals with multiple comorbidities, the introduction of even a single additional drug for asymptomatic conditions such as hyperlipidemia can drastically reduce treatment compliance due to their long medication history. Hence, researchers are trying to come up with a drug with a long duration of action requiring less frequent dosing without compromising compliance and improving the outcome.

Finerenone's Impact on Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events in Chronic Kidney Disease and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) impacts about 10% of adults globally and substantially elevates the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), such as heart attacks, strokes, cardiovascular-related deaths, and hospital admissions due to heart failure. The interplay between CKD and cardiovascular disease (CVD) leads to poor health outcomes. Nevertheless, there is a scarcity of systematic reviews focusing on the effectiveness of finerenone, a new non-steroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist (MRA), in lowering these risks.

Integrated epigenomic exposure signature discovery.

The epigenome influences gene regulation and phenotypes in response to exposures. Epigenome assessment can determine exposure history aiding in diagnosis. Here we developed and implemented a machine learning algorithm, the exposure signature discovery algorithm (ESDA), to identify the most important features present in multiple epigenomic and transcriptomic datasets to produce an integrated exposure signature (ES).

Wastewater and clinical surveillance of respiratory viral pathogens on a university campus.

Areas of dense population congregation are prone to experience respiratory virus outbreaks. We monitored wastewater and clinic patients for the presence of respiratory viruses on a large, public university campus. Campus sewer systems were monitored in 16 locations for the presence of viruses using next generation sequencing over 22 weeks in 2023.

Late-Season Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness Against Medically Attended Outpatient Illness, United States, December 2022-April 2023.

Background: The 2022-23 US influenza season peaked early in fall 2022.

Methods: Late-season influenza vaccine effectiveness (VE) against outpatient, laboratory-confirmed influenza was calculated among participants of the US Influenza VE Network using a test-negative design.

Results: Of 2561 participants enrolled from December 12, 2022 to April 30, 2023, 91 laboratory-confirmed influenza cases primarily had A(H1N1)pdm09 (6B.

CountASAP: A Lightweight, Easy to Use Python Package for Processing ASAPseq Data.

Declining sequencing costs coupled with the increasing availability of easy-to-use kits for the isolation of DNA and RNA transcripts from single cells have driven a rapid proliferation of studies centered around genomic and transcriptomic data. Simultaneously, a wealth of new techniques have been developed that utilize single cell technologies to interrogate a broad range of cell-biological processes. One recently developed technique, transposase-accessible chromatin with sequencing (ATAC) with select antigen profiling by sequencing (ASAPseq), provides a combination of chromatin accessibility assessments with measurements of cell-surface marker expression levels.

Institutional Experience with Investigation and Service for Acute and Post-Traumatic Stress in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.

Acute stress, post-traumatic stress and burnout are all stress-related mental health problems common to patients, families, physicians, nurses, and allied health professionals across disciplines. They are particularly common in those who care for critically ill and injured children. Despite growing awareness of the pervasiveness of burnout and stress among healthcare workers and families in the pediatric intensive care unit, there remain important gaps in the knowledge of factors affecting the development of stress-related mental illnesses, how individual and institutional factors protect or exacerbate these problems, and effective measures to limit or mitigate them.

Influenza Virus Genomic Surveillance, Arizona, USA, 2023-2024.

Influenza viruses are constantly evolving and are therefore monitored worldwide in the hope to reduce the burden of disease by annual updates to vaccine recommendations. We conducted genomic sequencing of 110 influenza A and 30 influenza B viruses from specimens collected between October 2023 and February 2024 in Arizona, USA. We identified mutations in the hemagglutinin (HA) antigenic sites as well as the neuraminidase (NA) gene in our samples.

Discovery of a Unique Set of Dog-Seroreactive Proteins Using Nucleic Acid Programmable Protein Array.

Valley Fever (VF), caused by fungi in the genus , is a prevalent disease in southwestern and western parts of the United States that affects both humans and animals, such as dogs. Although the immune responses to infection with spp. are not fully characterized, antibody-detection assays are used in conjunction with clinical presentation and radiologic findings to aid in the diagnosis of VF.

Efficacy and safety of phenytoin and levetiracetam for acute symptomatic seizures in children with acute encephalitis syndrome: an open label, randomised controlled trial.

Introduction: Seizures represent a significant comorbidity in children with acute encephalitis syndrome (AES). Despite this, there is a notable absence of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) directly comparing antiseizure medications (ASMs) in children with AES.

Materials And Methods: This RCT aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of phenytoin and levetiracetam in controlling seizures among children with AES.

Thickness-Dependent Nanoscale Elastic Stiffening of Chemical Vapor Deposited Atomically Thin 2H-MoS Films.

Understanding the nanoscale elastic-size-effects of atomically thin transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) as a function of thickness underpins the avenue of flexible 2D electronics. In this work, we employed the atomic force acoustic microscopy (AFAM) technique to investigate the thickness-dependent elastic properties of CVD grown 2H-MoS films. The monolayer MoS exhibited a Young's modulus of 273 ± 27 GPa.

Interim Estimates of 2023-24 Seasonal Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness - United States.

In the United States, annual influenza vaccination is recommended for all persons aged ≥6 months. Using data from four vaccine effectiveness (VE) networks during the 2023-24 influenza season, interim influenza VE was estimated among patients aged ≥6 months with acute respiratory illness-associated medical encounters using a test-negative case-control study design. Among children and adolescents aged 6 months-17 years, VE against influenza-associated outpatient visits ranged from 59% to 67% and against influenza-associated hospitalization ranged from 52% to 61%.

Neem leaves mediated synthesis of CeO2 nanoparticles for X/gamma ray absorption applications.

Cerium oxide (CeO2) nanoparticles (NPs) exhibit a variety of properties, which have prompted researchers to explore CeO2 NPs in various applications such as biomedical, electrochemical, gas sensing and display applications. CeO2 NPs capabilities were impacted by the type of synthesis mechanism. CeO2 NPs were synthesized by solution combustion method using neem leaves extract as a reducing agent.

Quantitative assessment of multiple pathogen exposure and immune dynamics at scale.

Serology reveals exposure to pathogens, as well as the state of autoimmune and other clinical conditions. It is used to evaluate individuals and their histories and as a public health tool to track epidemics. Employing a variety of formats, studies nearly always perform serology by testing response to only one or a few antigens.

Serological survey to estimate SARS-CoV-2 infection and antibody seroprevalence at a large public university: A cross-sectional study.

Objective: This study investigated the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies among adults over 18 years.

Design: Prospective cohort study.

Settings: A large public university.